An Army veteran from the Kansas City metropolitan area is joining a long list of people accusing a former physician assistant of abuse.

Joshua Hutchison said what happened to him at the VA Hospital in Leavenworth makes him sorry he sought treatment there.

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The former Army sergeant, who served several tours of duty in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said when he got back home, he started getting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said he went to the Leavenworth VA Hospital and became a patient of Mark Wisner. In a lawsuit filed this week, Hutchison said he was abused during appointments at the hospital, sometimes five to six times a week.

Wisner was arrested last summer and charged with several crimes, but none connected to Hutchison’s claims.

Hutchison said it took him a little while to realize that what he was experiencing – sometimes with his wife in the exam room – was wrong.

“She said, ‘That’s not right. That’s not how this is supposed to go. Why aren’t you seeing this?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know what to think. This is another military brother and this is also my primary care physician,’” Hutchison said.

He said he placed a lot of trust in Wisner. He said that while he’s embarrassed to come forward, he hopes it will lead other people to do so.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is expected to visit Leavenworth Friday afternoon and address the lawsuits.

The VA of Eastern Kansas released the following statement late Thursday after a request from KMBC:

"VA is committed to providing our veterans with the timely, high-quality care and services they have earned and deserve. Please know that we take all allegations of misconduct seriously and our first priority is the safety of our patients and staff. "

"In regard to your request for information about the status of the investigations surrounding Mr. Wisner, due to the ongoing legal status of the cases in which suit has been filed in Federal district court, VA cannot comment on the specifics of any of the pending cases. Further inquiries regarding the ongoing litigation should be directed to the Department of Justice’s Public Relations office in Washington, D.C."

"While we cannot publicly discuss pending cases, we take very seriously the safety and well-being of every single veteran patient. Upon specific accusations of inappropriate activity being brought to the attention of executive leadership at the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, the former employee, Mark Wisner, was removed from patient care and an investigation was swiftly initiated."

"As we previously communicated to Congressional members, and the media, upon accusations of inappropriate activity being brought to the attention of executive leadership at the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Mr. Wisner was removed from patient care and an investigation was swiftly initiated."

"Before the investigation was complete, Mr. Wisner left VA and also surrendered his medical license to the Kansas Board of Healing Arts. Following the full investigation, criminal charges were officially filed against Mr. Wisner. Leavenworth VAMC, in coordination with VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), launched a notification campaign and sent letters, with a dedicated hotline number, to Veteran patients formally under Mr. Wisner’s care. This process was established to ensure open communication with Veteran patients and their family members, answer their questions, and offer clinical and administrative support and resources from Leavenworth VAMC."

"In regard to background investigations and credentialing, all VA employees are required to undergo a background investigation commensurate with their position’s risk level. Mr. Wisner underwent the requisite level of investigation. Subsequent investigations are not required on positions designated at the Low Risk level, but an updated National Criminal History Check is submitted upon issuance and renewal of VA-issued personal identification verification cards."

"Additionally, as with all Physician Assistants, Mr. Wisner was initially credentialed and then re-credentialed every two years in accordance with VHA Handbook, 1100.19, Credentialing and Privileging. The credentialing process includes an exhaustive primary source verification of training, education, past work history, licensure/certification, and references. Providers are also enrolled in the National Practitioner Data Bank’s (NPDB) Continuous Query program, where VHA would receive an immediate alert if any entity reported the provider to NPDB for any reason. In Mr. Wisner’s case, there were no reports or disclosures from these sources that would have indicated a potential problem."